Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals – MLB, September 11, 2020

The Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals meet for the last time this regular season, opening a four-game series at Nationals Park in Washington on Thursday night. The Braves and Nats split their first six head-to-head duels in 2020, while the Braves are 10-5 over their last 15 encounters with the Nationals.

Atlanta entered this series as the best team in the NL East. However, the Braves were just a couple of games ahead of the second-placed Phillies on Thursday, while the Nationals were sitting bottom of the standings.

The reigning champs were 4.5 games behind the wild-card spot, so they are still alive in the playoff race, promising a great battle in the Braves series. I bring you my best Braves vs. Nationals betting pick for the second contest Friday, September 11, so let’s take a closer look. 

The Braves are swinging a hot bat, so they are -143 road favorites in this game. They went off against the Marlins at home last Wednesday, scoring 29 runs on 23 hits. Adam Duval had his second three-homer game in 2020, finishing with five runs and nine RBI, while Ronald Acuna and Freddy Freeman combined for 11 RBI.

However, the Nationals have won four of their last five games before the opening clash of this series and will try their best to upset the odds.

The Braves’ offense is an elite one, averaging 5.93 runs per game, enough for the most in the league by far.

That 29-9 win over Miami certainly helped, but the Braves have been terrific offensively for most of the season. They are third in batting average (.270) and first in slugging percentage (.491).

On the other side, the Nationals are scoring 4.76 runs per game (14^th in the MLB) on a .267 batting average (5^th) and .437 slugging percentage (11^th).

Both Atlanta and Washington have some serious problems with their pitching staff. The Braves allow 4.72 runs per game (13^th), while the Nats surrender 5.15 runs per contest (22^nd).

Josh Tomlin will take the hill for the Braves, and the righty is 2-2 with a 3.77 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in four starts and eight relief appearances in 2020. He tossed six innings in a 10-3 win over the Nationals this past Sunday, allowing just a run on three hits.

Erick Fedde will get the starting nod for the reigning champs, and he’s 1-3 with a 5.29 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in five starts and three relief outings this season. The righty met the Braves last Saturday, allowing four earned runs on six hits and four walks in just 3.2 innings of work, but the Nats won 10-4 eventually.

Josh Tomlin had his best game of the season against the Nationals last weekend, so I expect some regression in this clash. The Nationals desperately need a victory and will be fired up to hit well against Tomlin this time.

Both Tomlin and Fedde could easily struggle early in the game. I’ve mentioned how good these two teams are at-bat, so give me the over on the totals. Also, feel free to check out our daily betting page and get more MLB picks and tips for Friday night.